"You must be Jack!" Dad says boisterously, ushering Jack in. My anxiety spikes, and my breath catches at how handsome he looks. He's wearing a dark brown leather jacket, jeans, and a navy blue shirt. His hair is combed and looks recently cut. Did he get it trimmed after school?
"I am," Jack chuckles smoothly, taking Dad's outstretched hand and shaking it. I can see that Dad is impressed with his handshake. And he would know a lot about that, working in business.
"I'm Ken, Riley's dad,"
"It's nice to meet you," Jack says, and I look at Karen. Her arms are still folded over her chest, but there's a look of genuine surprise on her face. She glances between Jack and me skeptically. Jessica bumps her mom's arm, but Karen waves her off.
"I won't keep you around for too long, but you'll have to come over and watch some football with me on Sunday. You like football?" I want to just whisk Jack away before my dad embarrasses me even more. I shoot my dad a look, but he's too busy looking at Jack. I get up, and Jack looks over at me, eyes dilating as he grins.
"I do," Jack says, looking back at my dad. Dad laughs, clapping his hands together excitedly.
"Wonderful!" Dad leans in slightly. "None of these women want to watch football with me." I roll my eyes, knowing full well he makes me sit with him for the first half of the games.
"Really? My mom doesn't like watching it either," Dad laughs loudly at Jack's reply.
"So you understand! Invite your father over too, let's make a day of it," Jack laughs, and I give my dad another look, to tell him to stop talking, but he's still fixated on Jack. I glance at Karen, and Jessica is whispering in her ear. I know I have to leave before things get worse. I take Jack's arm and pull him towards the door.
"Well, we gotta go," I laugh nervously, tugging on his arm.
"Absolutely not, young lady," Karen says strictly. I stop, and Dad looks at her, confused. "It's a school night."
"Oh, I'm sure if we set a curfew, she'll be fine," Dad says with an eye roll. Karen's face turns red as she glares at him. Dad looks at me and then at Jack.
"No later than midnight, alright?" I smile and nod, Jack doing the same.
"Midnight?! My curfew is nine!" Jessica cries out, and Dad shrugs. He gives me a quick hug before heading to the bedroom, Karen and Jessica hot on his heels. I tug on Jack, forcing him out of the house and towards his truck. I'm grateful he didn't bring his bike.
"Hey," Jack says softly from behind me. I let him go and turn around. Jack smiles down at me, eyes looking me over. "You look really nice." My face heats up, and my heart thaws.
"It's my ugliest outfit," I say sarcastically, and he bursts out a laugh.
"No, it isn't," he leans down, kissing my forehead. "You look beautiful." Flustered and overwhelmed, I smile anyway, his compliments sinking in. It's so unfamiliar, so be called these things by someone who isn't family. And then, even those are sparse.
"You look nice too," complimenting someone you like feels like another language I'm learning to speak. Jack grins.
"Well, thank you," he takes my hand in his and leads me to the passenger side. He opens my door, and I get in.
"Thanks for not bringing your motorcycle," I say, gesturing to my hair. Jack chuckles.
"Don't expect it all the time," he winks. "It gets great gas mileage." I roll my eyes, smiling, as he closes the door and jogs around to his side. He gets in, starts the engine, and then we're off.
"So, what do you have planned?" I ask a few minutes down the road, and he shoots me a mischievous grin.
"Oh, you'll see," he says cryptically.
"Oh, come on, tell me, please?" I plead. He shakes his head.
"You'll just have to wait and see," he grins at me, and I sigh, leaning back in my seat. I look out the window, and I realize we're leaving town. For the next ten minutes, our ride is silent, and my mind tries to figure out where we're going. I know where we are and that we're in the next town over. It doesn't occur to me that we're going to the carnival until I see the sign.
"Oh, my God, we're going to the Fall Fest?" Jack grins and nods. I laugh. "I haven't been in years." The last time I was there was the October before my mom died.
"I was going to plan something," Jack says shyly, rubbing the back of his neck as he turns onto the road towards the carnival. "But then I saw the sign and figured it'd be more fun than some lame dinner and movie at my house."
"Honestly, that would have been just as good," he smiles at me. We are able to find a parking spot that isn't too far away from the main attractions. I meet Jack near the front of the truck, and it's as easy as breathing to reach for his hand. Our fingers intertwine, and he smiles at me. We walk together towards the ticket counter.
"20 tickets for twenty-dollars is highway robbery," Jack mutters, putting his wallet back into his pocket. I laugh and lead him towards the first game I want to play.
For the next hour and a half, we spend the majority of our tickets playing silly carnival games that neither one of us wins.
"I was trying to win you that huge tiger," Jack says sadly as he walks away from the dart game. I laugh and pat his arm.
"Guess you gotta work on that hand-eye coordination," I tease, and he pretends to mope, which makes me laugh again. His face suddenly lights up when he sees another game down the row.
"Oh! Look! A pink teddy bear!" He grabs my hand, and we're jogging towards the game, laughing along the way. We arrive at a water shooting game, and Jack gets settled in the seat while I hand the vendor the tickets.
The game machine lights up, and I grin, watching as Jack begins to chew on his tongue in concentration. Though his best isn't enough for the timer ends, and the vendor shakes his head. Jack throws his hands up as I pat his back reassuringly.
"So close," I whisper in his ear. "Yet so, so far." He grumbles a response and gets up. We walk away from the game, and we pass a cotton candy stand. He gets me light blue cotton candy, and we share it as we figure out where to go next. We're now down to our last four tickets, and I'm looking around, trying to find another game to do, but Jack takes my hand and starts to lead me towards the Ferris wheel.
"Let's hope we have enough tickets," Jack says with a wink. I smile and follow behind him. My cheeks hurt from all the smiling and laughing I've done this evening. It's been a long time since I've done that. Once we arrive, we see the sign that it's two tickets a person.
"Perfect!" I exclaim, and Jack grins at me. He hands the tickets to the operator, and he opens the door to the carriage. I get in first and then Jack. He sits across from me, and the operator closes the door.
"Ready?" Jack asks, and I nod, looking down as we start to move.
"I like your necklace," Jack says, reaching forward and holding it between his fingers. I smile at him.
"It was my moms," I tuck my hair behind my ear, pointing out the earrings. "These were her's, too."
"They're beautiful," he remarks, eyes meeting mine.
"Thanks," Jack smiles, and his hand lays on top of mine. His hand is warm, and comfort flows through my veins at his simple touch. It's silent as we enjoy the ride together. I look up at the night sky, the stars are extra bright tonight.
"I figured we could go get a bite to eat after this," Jack says, and I look at him.
"Okay," he smiles. "What did you have in mind?"
"You'll see," he winks at me, and I groan, playfully hitting his arm.
"Come on, you can tell me," he shakes his head, and I frown.
"It's a surprise," he says. "Unless you can guess." I think for a moment.
"Is it Beverly's?" His smile falls, and I laugh. His cheeks turn light pink as he rubs the back of his neck.
"You are so predictable, Jack Miles," he sends me a shy smile, and I laugh again.
The rest of the Ferris wheel ride is silent, and when we make our way to the bottom, Jack slips his hand in mind. He leads me towards the truck. I glance up at him and can see his jaw is clenched.
"Riley?" Jack says softly when we arrive back at the truck. I look up at him, and he smiles at me. Even in the dark, I can see his eyes are dilated.
"Yeah?" He licks his lips and takes a deep breath.
"Do you think we could do this again?" Jack gently smooths his hand over the back of my knuckles. I nod.
"I'd like that," he smiles at me, eyes bright, and I can see how happy he is. It warms my heart, and I can't help but smile back. Our gazes stay connected, and his free hand reaches up, brushing some hair out of my eyes.
"I'd really like to kiss you right now," his voice is soft, and my heart jumps. I feel my lips part as his hand caresses my cheek, hand hot against my cool skin.
"I'd like that, too," I reply, my voice just a breath, and his eyes drop to my lips, pupils dilating. Jack steps closer to me, and his hand leaves mine, wrapping around my waist. He leans down, lifting my chin with his fingers and his nose brushes mine. My breath catches in anticipation as my eyes close, heart rate increasing with excitement.
After so many interrupted attempts before this, (and I'm surprised we aren't again), he finally presses his lips against mine. He's so warm, and goosebumps cover my body as he kisses me gently. He's slow and careful as if he's imprinting this moment in his mind. He pulls away briefly, his lips brushing against mine.
He kisses me again, but this time it's harder, and I can feel it all the way down to my toes. The hand on my waist comes up and cups my other cheek as the kiss deepens. Heat fills the center of my soul as I kiss him back, matching his passion. He holds my face gently in his hands as if he's afraid to break it.
He immediately kisses me again, and I don't push him away. I don't want this to end. He's gentle and careful, soft and passionate. If this is what cloud nine feels like, I don't ever want to leave.
He pulls away, resting his forehead against mine as we catch our breaths. His thumbs smooth over my skin, and I open my eyes, only to see him already looking at me. He smiles, and I do too.
"Are you hungry?" Jack asks softly, and I nod.
"Starving." He opens my door for me, and I climb in. We head back towards our town and listen to the radio, our fingers interlocked. I hum along, and I know Jack is looking at me whenever he can.
My heart rate is still a little high from my first kiss(es). My body feels tingly and complete. I press my lips together every so often, and all I can think about are Jack tender kisses, and it makes me shiver. Twenty minutes later, we arrive outside Beverly's.
Jack grins at me, and we exit the truck, heading towards the entrance. We take the same seats as we did the other day.
"Are you going to get the same thing as last time?" I ask, reaching for a menu, and Jack laughs.
"Of course," I laugh softly and look through the menu, deciding on a simple grilled cheese with fries. A different waitress, her name tag reads Amy, approaches the table. She looks about our age, and when she sees Jack, her eyes light up.
"Hey, Jack!" Jack looks up, and recognition flashes through his features. He gives her a friendly smile.
"Hey, how are you?" Amy nods happily.
"I'm great, and you?" He nods back.
"Good, thanks," Jack looks at me, and Amy follows her gaze. A huge grin spreads across her face before she looks back at Jack and nods in understanding. Confused, I look between them, hoping for an answer, but I don't get one. Amy takes our orders and then leaves for the kitchen. I look at Jack, waiting for an answer, but all he does is smile at me.
"So," Jack says, leaning on the table. "Guess we'll be having a football watch party at your house on Sunday." I groan, rolling my eyes, and Jack laughs.
"You really don't have to come over if you don't want to," he shakes his head.
"No, I'd love to," I look at him skeptically, and he chuckles.
"Well, while you're with my dad, I'll go hang with your mom," his smile drops, and I laugh. "See? Now you know how I feel."
"Actually, my mom would really like that," Jack says thoughtfully. "She's always stuck around us guys at home."
"Yeah, and I bet that's a lot of work," Jack bursts out a laugh, and I grin.
"You have no idea," he chuckles, shaking his head. We talk aimlessly for the next few minutes before our food arrives. We eat silently but steal glances every chance we can.